Foreign factories in Canton
Painting
ca. 1780 (made)
ca. 1780 (made)
| Artist/Maker | |
| Place of origin |
This view of the Canton waterfront shows the foreign trade settlements in the 1770s. The flags visible are, from right to left, Dutch, British, Swedish, Imperial (Holy Roman Empire) and French. The artist has made no attempt to make the scene appear exotic. This painting is most likely an attempt to make an objective record of the time and place.
Object details
| Categories | |
| Object type | |
| Title | Foreign factories in Canton |
| Materials and techniques | Watercolour on silk |
| Brief description | Painting, 'Foreign factories in Canton', watercolour on silk, Guangzhou, China, c.1780 |
| Physical description | Rectangular watercolour painting of the Canton waterfront, showing the foreign trade settlements as they were in the last years of the European ancient regime. It is executed in a cool and dispassionate manner, with no attempt at an effect of exoticism, and is likely to be a plain piece of topographical reporting. The flags visible are, from right to left: Dutch, British, Swedish, Imperial (Holy Roman Empire) and French. |
| Dimensions |
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| Styles | |
| Object history | Purchased from a source not recorded in the Asia Department registers, accessioned in 1887. This acquisition information reflects that found in the Asia Department registers, as part of a 2022 provenance research project. |
| Subjects depicted | |
| Place depicted | |
| Summary | This view of the Canton waterfront shows the foreign trade settlements in the 1770s. The flags visible are, from right to left, Dutch, British, Swedish, Imperial (Holy Roman Empire) and French. The artist has made no attempt to make the scene appear exotic. This painting is most likely an attempt to make an objective record of the time and place. |
| Bibliographic references |
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| Collection | |
| Accession number | D.448-1887 |
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| Record created | December 15, 1999 |
| Record URL |
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